Masquerade At High Noon
by LadyShiva17
Summary: Oliver's gotten into the could-be-disastrous habit of trying to fix up Lois and Clark. His latest scheme? A couples costume party in Metropolis.
1. Blush

**A/N:**Hey fiction-readers! I know I should be working on my other stories, but right now I am having a writer's block, so I will take my mind off the other ones for a little bit. Don't worry, I will continue them! But here is a lighter Clark/Lois beginning of a short fic. Hope ya like. R&R! No flames, please! Thanks, people! Please be patient, 'cause it will be a while before I have more stuff up. Sorry!

This is set in the present day Smallville TV series. My favorite show! And I am pretty sure that Lois still has an '07 Camry. If not, sorry for my ignorance. CAN'T WAIT for Season 8 on DVD!

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Smallville or the characters or Superman or anything like that. Belongs to DC comics. NOT ME!

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Masquerade at High Noon

***

"Clark!" Lois Lane called as she pulled the screen door open and entered the Kent house, unaware that she was in fact yelling.

She was supposed to pick up Clark for the charity bash that Ollie was throwing and had invited them to. It happened to be a 'couples' costume party and somehow, they had both been talked into it.

It was odd, Lois thought, that ever since she and Ollie had decided to just be "really good friends", Ollie had started coming up with excuses for her and Clark Kent to be in the same place at the same time, and more than usual.

Even though she would never admit this to anyone, Lois didn't mind it. Except she did get nervous sometimes, which was weird. Why should Lois be nervous around Clark?

She set her car keys down on the kitchen counter and, using the hallway mirror, reached up and adjusted her white domino mask. It stubbornly kept sliding to the left, which was getting annoying. _Stupid Ollie._

A muffled voice came from upstairs that sounded something like, "One second!" This was followed by a lot of thumping. Lois rolled her eyes. _Boys._

Finally, after what was way more than one second, Clark appeared at the top of the stairs. He paused to tie the bandanna around his neck and Lois took a second to study the costume he wore.

He was dressed as a cowboy, complete with boots and spurs, a brown hat, and of course, the red bandana. Polishing the look with a black domino mask hiding the area around his blue eyes that completed the whole "masquerade" effect.

Lois raised an eyebrow. _Who knew the farm boy could pull off something other than plaid?_ Clark saw her expression and grinned, boyishly.

"Not bad, Smallville. I'm impressed," Lois commented with approval. "I see you didn't go with my suggestion," she smirked.

"You know," Clark smiled. "I really couldn't see myself as 'Bozo the Clown', Lois."

"And John Wayne is so much better, right?" Lois scoffed. "Whatever. Now we match." She turned to retrieve her keys. Starting down the steps, Clark covertly examined her costume.

He'd found out from Chloe what Lois was planning, so he changed his idea from Zorro to the Lone Ranger for the sake of being more complimentary.

She wore a yellowy pink eighteen-hundreds era western-style floor length gown, complete with a corset. Clark moved his eyes past her chest and up to her face. Lois had piled her long, auburn waves on the top of her head. A few soft, stray curls and whisps adorned her creamy, blemish-free visage.

Clark swallowed. She really was beautiful. _Of course, not Lana beautiful, but –_ He quickly shook his head. _Don't think about her!_ He'd come down the stairs and Lois was again in front of him.

She caught Clark gaping at her and cocked an eyebrow. "Smallville!"

Clark's thoughts were interrupted and he jerked his eyes away from her face. "Huh?"

"You ready?" She asked. She wasn't a very patient person, as Clark had observed over the years.

"Oh. Yeah, all set," he replied, secretly wondering how he'd ever survive a three to five hour evening around this woman.

"Then let's go! I can barely breathe in this thing!" Lois huffed, indicating the bodice she wore.

As soon as Clark's eyes landed on Lois' chest, his face turned a beet red and he hastily averted his gaze. But it didn't matter anyways, as Lois was already out the door. He quickly followed her, locking the front door of the farmhouse behind him.

Lois paused in front of the dark blue drivers door. The shift she wore was as big as a tent, and the space of entry into her Camry was relatively small. It had been tricky getting into the car earlier at the Talon. So tricky, in fact, that her cousin Chloe had to assist her.

Clark noticed that she had stopped. He frowned, confused as to why. Then he saw her shuffling her skirt around and bending slightly, and he understood. Smiling he walked back over to where she was.

"O-kay...," she bit her lip and tried to throw her keys onto the dash.

He grinned. "Need any help?"

"Thanks, but I... Eeep!" Accidentally stepping on the edge of her gown, Lois began to topple. Before she could fall, Clark effortlessly caught and steadied her. He smiled down at her, and Lois exhaled loudly before stepping away from Clark. Trying to regain her dignity, she smoothed down the dress and straightened up.

"You sure?" Clark asked, trying to stifle a laugh. Lois frowned.

"Fine. Hold this." She shoved a large amount of billowy, pink fabric into his hands and carefully placed both feet, one after the other, inside the car.

While she was lowering herself into the seat, Clark had neglected to lower the skirt at the same rate as the woman wearing it and there was plenty of exposed leg as a result. Abashedly, Clark quickly looked away, releasing the fabric he'd been holding onto and Lois climbed the rest of the way in.

"Sorry," he blushed and hurried back around to the passenger side.

Though it wasn't nearly as difficult as it had been for Lois, Clark found it awkward trying to manipulate the wide pants and hip holster so as to climb into the Camry. Watching him struggle, Lois concealed a sly smirk. Turning away, she slammed the door shut with the gown crammed inside.

"You good?" She asked as Clark closed his own door. He nodded.

Twisting the key in the ignition, Lois started the engine and pulled out of the Kent's driveway. Soon, the two curiously dressed people were zooming down the highway, away from Smallville and towards Metropolis.

It was going to be a very long drive.

***


	2. Bicker

**A/N: **Hey, here is chapter 2. Chapter 3 might take a while, but hey, what's 3 more months? Ha. JK. I will do my best. Thank you, Loyals.

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Masquerade At High Noon – Chapter 2

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It started to seem so long, that Clark Kent had wondered exactly why they were there in the first place. Then he remembered that it was thanks to Oliver Queen. He frowned and vowed to someday return the favor.

Cars were agonizingly slow. At least, that's what Clark was thinking as he heaved a long, loud sigh. He didn't have to worry about Lois hearing him thanks to one of Whitesnake's many power ballads reverberating through the cab.

They were driving through the outskirts of Metropolis now, headed for Oliver's penthouse apartment, where the soiree was taking place. How he was going to fit all the people he was supposedly inviting into his apartment was beyond Lois. And how they could be expected to dance, she hardly knew. She shrugged. _Whatever, I'm sure Ollie's got it covered. Not that I want to dance. I don't... not really. _Lois bit her lip, a habit that she only broke out when she was under heavy stress, and stole a glance in Clark's direction. _Well... maybe._

During the trip into Metropolis, Clark and Lois had barely said a word. There had been a few moments of pointless bickering when Lois had suggested Clark play some music. All he could find rummaging through the glove box were Whitesnake albums. He had argued that there were other existing bands out there and that Lois should try more variety, but she deflected his easy blow with an absurdly defiant look.

"Oh yeah, Smallville?" She jeered. "What about all your lame, farm-y tunes?"

"What are you talking about, Lois? I don't listen to farm-y music, whatever that make-believe genre may include," Clark laughed before putting one of her cd's into the car stereo.

She flashed a tight, annoyed smile, as though she had won the argument. "Thank you," she said tersely and flicked her hair out of her eyes before turning the volume dial up twenty percent.

Clark sat back in the cushioned upholstery and watched, amused, as Lois began moving her entire upper body to the beat of the song. Pretty soon, she was singing along to _Here I Go Again _with David Cloverdale.

This went on for the next half hour, Lois singing and Clark smirking and coming up with ways he could have gotten out of the situation before.

Now, the stereo was on the album's final track, and Lois was close to losing her voice. She turned the volume down slightly and focused on the road. The sign they'd recently passed by had indicated they were only eight miles out of the city.

The song ended and the silence that followed was hard to ignore. Clark shifted in his seat and Lois kept her eyes trained on the road, both realizing for the first time just how awkward the situation should be. Why were they going to a costume party? And why _together_? They weren't a couple. _Were they?_

Clark shook off those alarmingly confusing thoughts and turned to look at Lois. He wondered if it was difficult for her to work the peddles under all that flouncy fabric.

Lois shot another glance towards Clark and became aware that he was staring again. Finally, she subtly broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"So...," she began. "Talked to your Mom lately?" She inquired, still watching the asphalt whiz by under the car's high-beams. As close to Martha Kent as she was, Lois knew that Clark usually received more regular updates. And she was keen on learning when the next "big visit" would be.

"Yeah, uh..." Clark recalled the conversation he shared with his mother the day before last. "She's good. She's says hi. Being the state senator sure keeps her busy, but soon she'll have a week off to come visit me." He emphasized the last word with a cheeky smirk directed at Lois, who rolled her eyes.

"You're so full of it, Smallville," Lois shook her head. "I know for a fact that the Senator wants to see me just as much as she does you, as precious as you may be."

Clark chuckled. "Of course she does! You're like the daughter she never had."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Lois frowned jokingly.

The corners of Clark's mouth curled upwards. "You know what I mean, Lois." He saw his friend smile softly under the flashing lights that illuminated the car's interior in intervals. "Besides, I thought you and my mom talked to each other almost daily these days, huh?"

The army brat shrugged her shoulders, which strained her torso under the faux-corset she wore. "Well, you know. Sometimes you get busy... with work and stuff." Lois cursed silently as soon as she uttered the words. Work? That was a whole can of worms that she did _not_ want to open... not right now. But it was too late, and she winced when Clark replied.

Clark cocked an eyebrow. _Work?_ "What about work?"


End file.
